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Cockatiel not responding to taming

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Cockatiel not responding to taming

Postby Nako » Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:01 pm

So I have two birds Tilly (female cockatiel) is now about 6months old, reggie (a green checked conour) is 4years old but a rescue parrot from and he is responding so well now, he talks, dances, sings (badly), he happily comes out his cage, flys well, eats well, wags his tail when he sees me and is getting much less bitey with thanks to advice from here. Tilly my cockatiel from a pet shop is just not responding really, she will take millet and millet only from my hand the majority of the time, I sing to her softly every day, I sit in the room with her for hours every day, I like to offer her the same as reggie, so I put reggie back in his cage and offer her to come out leaving the door open and I just sit on with the cages on the floor. She won't let me touch her, she goes to bite me when I get too close unless I have millet, I've tried strocking her with the millet and she just looks at me beak open, she doesn't tend to bite or hiss anymore she just moves away from you like I'm irritating her. She gets exited when I change her food and she knows when I'm about to do it, but I'm stuck, do I just need more patients and time with her? Or am I doing anything wrong? I managed to get her out the age 2x months ago and both times she panicked and flew into a lot of walls and it was scary, now she won't come out at all, do u think she scared herself? She looks so amazed watching birds fly out the window and she looks almost jealous of reggie flying about and interacting with me. I thought I'd made such good progress with her to start as I had her eating millit from me in the first week of getting her. I think she could be such a loving bird, I do feel we have a bond, but is there's anything I can
Do to help her? I just want to give her the best life and I hate the idea of her stuck on a cage day in day out, it's big enough for her to climb and lots of toys, and I know her personality, favourite foods, toys, even the order of her little stretch routine. Also I dnt know if she likes my soft singing or whisteling she shakes her head on certain tones like she wants to shake the noise away. But she seems healthy feathers good, feet warm, beak looks fine, eyes and she eats well, she's started trying more foods now and she's grown so I just don't know what to do... thanks
Nako
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 9
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Green cheeked conour male and female cockatiel
Flight: Yes

Re: Cockatiel not responding to taming

Postby liz » Mon Jan 30, 2017 7:29 am

Try to give her a perch at eye level. Spend time in the room doing other things than talking with her. Give her time to watch you and figure you out. She is not wild. She is scared. Has she bonded to the other bird?
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Cockatiel not responding to taming

Postby Pajarita » Mon Jan 30, 2017 12:01 pm

Liz, it's highly unlikely that a tiel would bond with a GCC.

Nako, you obviously have very good intentions when it comes to your cockatiel but I am afraid that you are not looking at things from the bird's perspective. Cockatiels are not companion parrots, they are aviary and, as most of them are parent-raised, they never really bond with people. You were also not helping things much when you insisted on touching her with the millet (putting your hand in a bird's cage when the bird is not deeply bonded to you is counterproductive because you are telling the bird you cannot be trusted). Now, the question here is who is the one that you would prefer to be happy? You or the bird? Because, for a cockatiel, happiness is having another tiel as a companion, good food to eat, and the ability to fly. Humans are not necessary for their happiness and they only resort to them out of sheer loneliness.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Cockatiel not responding to taming

Postby Nako » Mon Jan 30, 2017 3:10 pm

Do you think I should get another cockatiel? I mean obviously not introducing them straight away. And Tilly and the gcc whistle too each back and forth in the day, but I keep them in separate cages obviously, my gcc isore interested in than her then she is him. I was advised not got get her as a pair as I originally was going to do.
Nako
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 9
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Green cheeked conour male and female cockatiel
Flight: Yes

Re: Cockatiel not responding to taming

Postby Pajarita » Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:37 am

I'll be honest with you, personally, I would not consider having a lone aviary bird. I know that a lot of people will say it's OK to do this, that their bird loves them and is happy with the life it has but there is a good reason why some parrot species are classified as companion and others as aviary. All parrots are highly social so they all NEED (and relish) company but companion birds can be satisfied with a human companion (as long as the husbandry is good, of course) while aviary birds are never completely happy on their own once they become sexually mature. So, yes, if the bird was mine, I would get it a large flight cage and a mate.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Cockatiel not responding to taming

Postby liz » Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:55 pm

Looking through the forum and on youtube and facebook many people have great bonds with their Cockatiels. But most of them only have a cockatiel and spend time and interact with it for what it is, a big bird in a little body.

I got Lola because she was bought to be a companion for another Tiel. That Tiel had already bonded to a Grey and did not want to be bothered.

The woman was dying of cancer and wanted to rehome all three but I was not ready to take another species than my Cockatiels and with only 3 or my originals being social. Though some of my rescues came to me thinking I was the best human in the world because of the food and care (Phoenix and Jackie) others are slowly learning from the original 3.

On YouTube you can find flocks that are mixed and getting along. The funniest on is Marni. You could try having both out with you in the middle to see if they bond. (Marni chases his little buddy Cockatiel around asking for kisses and stealing them.) My Myrtle loves to get in with the Cockatiels but Rainbow has injured a couple that cost me a big vet bill. (Rainbow does not fly and if a Cockatiel lands beside her she is startled and reacts.)

It may not work but it is worth a try.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes


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